Third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) wireless networks, as specified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) include wireless access networks in which different application services (e.g., data services, voice over IP (VoIP) content, video content, etc.) can be delivered over Internet protocol (IP). Both IP and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) define size limits for packets transmitted over a network. The IP maximum transmission unit (MTU) defines the maximum size of IP packet that can be transmitted. The TCP maximum segment size (MSS) defines the maximum number of data bytes in a packet (e.g., excluding the TCP/IP headers).
Typically, end users do not know the MTU size or the MSS that a network or a network segment in the TCP path can accommodate, and, therefore, the end user's operating system selects a default value (e.g., 1500 bytes) for the MTU size. However, the default value may not be supported over the wireless access network. When an IP packet is too large (e.g., the packet exceeds the MTU size and/or MSS), network devices may apply packet fragmentation to conform the packets to these size limits. This packet fragmentation can degrade performance.